Spennay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Spennay came to England with the ancestors of the Spennay family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Spennay family lived in Warwickshire. Their name, however, is a reference to Epineville, Normandy, 1

However, another source has a very different understanding of the origin of this name, claiming the name means: "a thicket; a small plantation. Evidently the same as the Latin spinetum, a bushy place, or patch of thorns. The name is probably another form of Thorne, anciently Latinized 'De Spineto.' In Buckinghamshire, however, spinney means a brook." 2

Early Origins of the Spennay family

The surname Spennay was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. The Spineys were originally of Spine Villa or Epineville of Scine in Inf in the arrondisement of Yvetot, and held lands in Feltwell in Norfolk and Cloughton in Warwickshire.

Other early records of the family in England include: Robert de la Spinei who was listed in Cheshire in 1198, John atte Spyneye in the Subsidy Rolls for Leicestershire in 1327 and John Spynneye in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1377. 3

Moving to the far south to Devon, we did find this interesting interpretation of the name: "Brismar had also held, and William [the Conqueror)] had succeeded to, the adjacent manors of Bickleigh and Sampford, now Sampford Spiney. The added name, in this latter case, is said to have been derived from its possession by the family of Spinet or De Spineto ; but as the neighbouring parish of Shaugh takes its title from the Saxon sceacga, 'rough coppice,' it is quite as probable that the Spiney here may be simply the allied word spinney." 4

The spellings Spynie and Spiny are fairly popular in Scotland where the name is derived from "Spynie in the parish of the same name in Moray. Henricus ae Spyny was vicar of Banff, 1323. William de Spyny who appears as canon of the church of Moray in 1363 may be the William de Spyny who was procurator for the abbot of Aberbrothoc in 1375. John de Spyny petitioned for a canonry and prebend of Neu and Ros ven in Ros, 1407. Sir William Spyne or Spynie, provost of Thane or Tayne (Tain) in 1509 was dead before 1545." 5 This later source presumes that Espyny recorded in 1394 is of the same family.

Early History of the Spennay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spennay research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1363, 1371, 1372, 1373, 1388, 1397, 1402 and 1406 are included under the topic Early Spennay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spennay Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Spiney, Spinney, Spine, Spines and others.

Early Notables of the Spennay family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William de Spynie (died 1406), Scottish prelate, canon of Moray by 1363 and Precentor (Chanter) of Aberdeen in 1371, exchanged the latter position with William Boyl for the Precentorship of Moray (1372-1373), became Dean of Aberdeen by 1388, possibly became Dean of Dunkeld in 1397, elected to be the new Bishop...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Spennay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Spennay family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Spennay or a variant listed above: C. Spinney who arrived in New York in 1823; J. Spinney arrived in San Francisco in 1850; Thomas Spines settled in New England in 1767.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)